Posts tagged butterfly days series

Today I’m celebrating the release of FINDING EVAN. This is a New Adult contemporary romance title that is the second book in the ‘Butterfly Days’ series. This book is a re-release of the original version of Finding Evan with minor changes.

You can get it now for FREE exclusively through Amazon Unlimited, or for just $2.99.

BLURB:

“She killed a part of me – the part which trusts when someone tells you they love you, and allows you to trust that person with your heart.”

Ness and Evan return to Leeds from Europe, and begin their new life together. But the past Evan has buried for years resurfaces and threatens their future.

After fifteen years, Evan doesn’t want any contact with the woman who abandoned him, but is unwillingly pulled into his mother’s life by Lucy.

Feeling pushed aside by Ness’s focus on her studies and new friends, Evan can’t confide in Ness about what’s happening. This return to his old behavior adds more distance to their relationship. When Ness’s new friend Ollie picks up the pieces because Evan is away, Evan’s insecurities threaten their relationship further.

Ness becomes aware of Evan’s situation, and she questions whether he will ever be able to break his ties to those dragging him down. If he can’t put himself first, and live the life he wants, she is unable to see how their relationship could work. In return, Evan struggles with Ness’s inability to get close to people, and her distance pushes him further away.

The decision about the future of the relationship is taken out of their hands – by something that could end things between Ness and Evan forever…

PREVIOUS BOOK IN THE SERIES

Purchase from Amazon

Finding Evan re-releases on March 29th – SIX days!
Ness and Evan’s story continues from Because of Lucy in this emotional new adult romance. Ness and Evan return to Leeds from Europe, and begin their new life together. But the past Evan has buried for years resurfaces and threatens their future.

Today I’m sharing a scene from the book.

Excerpt

NESS

When Evan appears, he’s jacketless despite the cool day. I shiver; just looking at him in his thin T-shirt makes me cold but also warm inside. I can’t help but feel a little smug when I take in the sight of my hot-as-hell boyfriend. With his damp-chested, mussed hair, post-workout look, he fuels the less than clean thoughts I have about him as I watch.

Evan doesn’t notice me at first; he’s on the phone and his eyebrows are pulled together in consternation. I recognise his hunched stance as frustration, and suspect he’s talking to his sister. Evan rests against the pillar outside as he continues his conversation, oblivious to those around.

A slender girl with long blonde hair passes me with her equally blonde friend. I watch them. Do they share the same box of hair dye to go with their identical straightened hair and designer gym gear?

“Book me in with him,” one of them says and giggles.

I jump to alert. There’s only one ‘him’ in the vicinity.

“Nope, all mine. Twice a week.” The giggling intensifies, and an unfamiliar feeling creeps across my scalp when it’s apparent they’re talking about Evan. Jealousy.

“He can get me hot and sweaty anytime!”

I tense at their immature sizing up of my boyfriend. Then I find myself doing something I didn’t intend. I stalk across the path towards Evan and dump my bag on the floor.

Evan’s eyes widen in surprise and he finishes the call. “Ness!”

Without a word, I slowly moisten my lips, and his eyes darken as I move in to kiss him. Evan grabs my rear and pulls me against his soaked chest, crushing his mouth against mine. He smells of workout sweat and deodorant, a mingled scent I associate with Evan – and sex. Tongue darting into my mouth, Evan holds me tighter. I’m lost in time for a moment, until Evan peels me off him.

“Well, that was an unexpected surprise.” He regards me with shining eyes. “Not like you.”

I smile up at him, loving his reaction. “I brought you lunch.”

“Suddenly, I’m not very hungry.” The intent almost has my agreement, but I control myself.

“I am. I brought a picnic.” I rummage in my bag, and from the corner of my eye, I spot the girls staring at us. An immature sense of triumph fills me. God, I might as well just stamp my name and phone number on his head.

“Damn. Okay then.” He kisses the top of my head and laces his fingers in mine. I disentangle them and push Evan’s arm over my shoulder, wrapping mine around his waist. If I’m going to behave like I’m fifteen, I may as well continue. I shoot the girls a look on the way past.

We find a picnic spot on campus nearby, a wooden bench amongst the trees, autumn leaves at our feet. I snap open the container lids and hand Evan a fork.

My face heats at the memory of that particular town – and what we did on the beach. In the dark. The curve to his mouth when he meets my red face draws me back from the sandy memories.

“I’m glad this is distracting you,” I say.

“Distracting me?”

“The last week or so you’ve seemed like you’re carrying stuff again. Is Lucy okay?”

Evan scratches the edge of his eye. He doesn’t realise, but he does this when he’s about to hide something from me. “She’s okay. Well, not really. But nothing major.”

After a few moments, I realise this is the limit of his conversation on Lucy. So I dig into my salad and close my eyes, wishing we were back in Greece. Carefree. I open an eye – life isn’t like that. Evan stabs at his salad; he has some sauce by his mouth, so I rub it off with my thumb.

Catching my hand, he sucks off the sauce, firing heat inside me. “Thanks for this,” he says. “It’s always nice to have extra time for us.”

“Come over tonight?” I suggest.

“Of course.”

“But I have early classes tomorrow.”

“I’ll get you to bed early,” he says, and leans over, running his tongue along my bottom lip. I inhale sharply, and he laughs against my mouth.

I lick the salty sauce he left on my mouth and his eyes zone in. We’re sharing a picnic and somehow it’s become an exercise in eye sex. We really need to spend more time together.

“You still okay for Saturday?” I ask, pushing a forkful of food into my mouth.

“Saturday?”

“The MedSoc thing?”

“Shit.”

“What?”

“I have to go to Lancaster. I promised Lucy…” He trails off and focuses on his food.

Heart plummeting back into the realm of insecurity, I breathe deeply. “So no then?”

“I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“I told you weeks ago about this night! This is important. You always complain I don’t involve you in this stuff.” The attempt at hiding my irritation fails.

“I said I’m sorry,” he says, tone hard.

“Fine. There’ll be other times.” I stab a piece of feta and look the other way as I eat.

We continue our meal in silence. “What did you promise her?”

He looks up sharply. “Lucy? Just Lucy stuff. I should’ve thought. Sorry.”

I sink back against the bench with enough force to show Evan I’m pissed off with him. Evan doesn’t react and we finish our picnic in silence. He promised we’d go to the MedSoc night together. Does Lucy really need him that much he’d let me down? Evan said it’s nothing major, and he’s lying. So much for revisiting the summer today. What we’re doing now is rewinding to last year. To Lucy and whatever the hell Evan isn’t telling me.

***

Read the first book Because of Lucy exclusively on Amazon. FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Ness watches girls fall over themselves for Evan’s attention, but she has no interest in the hot English student who includes poetry in his seduction techniques.
Evan is amused by the uptight girl who refuses to fall for his charms, and engages in a battle of wits to win her over. But Evan is struggling with a side of his life he keeps hidden and the secretive behaviour threatens his new relationship with Ness.
When everything falls apart, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. All because of Lucy.

Only a few days until the new Because of Lucy is released. I’ve decided to share a small part of some of the new content. Exclusively on my blog!

So, what’s this new content I’ve written for the book? Well… I’ve worked on developing Ness and Evan’s relationship so you’ll find more scenes with them as a couple. More Evan and more banter! You’ll see a little more of the student Evan too – and so does Ness.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of their conversations from one of the new scenes:

“See you later, Evan.” I step into the rain; I’d also rather get soaked than watch what happens next.

Evan catches up to me. “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Don’t you want this?” He holds out the mug. The rain trickles off his large hand and I meet his eyes.

“What?”

“I’m waiting for you, you idiot.”

“Don’t call me an idiot.”

“You’re bloody funny. Can we not stand in the rain?” He indicates the sheltered building and my shoes fill with water as I follow him back through the puddles. “Here.”

“You drove out here to bring me coffee?” I take the warm cup in my damp hands.

“Yeah. That okay?”

“Why do that?”

“I went to your house to see you and Abby told me you were at work.”

“You could’ve left your number for me.”

“I could’ve, but I didn’t.” He steps closer and brushes rain from my face with cool fingers. “I wanted to see you.”

“Jesus, my head hurts enough.” The rain continues, and I sit on the nearby bench. My stomach fills with familiar butterflies as Evan sits next to me. “You’re a confusing guy.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Nicer than misogynist, anyway.”

I stare at my damp feet. What the hell is going on here?

“Don’t you like coffee?” He points at the cup. “Are you a tea drinker? Earl Grey or something fancy from a china cup?” I scowl at his teasing, but the friendly eyes and that smile pull me in. “I’ll bring tea next time, but I might spill it if you insist on the posh cup.”

I sip and shake my head. “Coffee is good. Thank you.”

“No problem.” We lapse into silence, and the rain hits the metal roof above us. The girls leaving work splash through the puddles, a couple of them throwing curious looks in our direction. “You busy tonight?”

Today we are sharing chapter one from BECAUSE OF LUCY by Lisa Swallow. This is a New Adult contemporary romance title that was originally published as a novella in 2013. This is a new edition that has been fully revised and expanded into a full-length novel! Because of Lucy is the first book in the ‘Butterfly Days’ series, and it will be released in just one week – next Tuesday, February 25th.

Because of Lucy (Butterfly Days #1)

Releasing: February 25

Book Blurb:

“In life, there are some people you have to lose in order to find yourself.”

Ness’s parents have planned her life but Ness is determined to control her own future. She leaves home and moves to Leeds with childhood friend, Abby, and shocks her parents by turning down a place at medical school to take a job in a call-centre.

Ness meets Evan, a student friend of Abby’s, and isn’t impressed. He’s drunk, arrogant and rarely spends the night without a girl in his bed. But unlike most guys she meets Evan quotes poetry and can hold a conversation, forcing Ness to change her opinion.

Evan is struggling to escape too and throws himself into the student lifestyle to hide from the past following him. In Ness, Evan finds somebody who shares the need to walk away from what people expect him to be.

But Evan can’t hide from his past forever and when Lucy appears she threatens his new relationship with Ness. Ness is unsure she can deal with the effect Lucy has on Evan, and makes a new decision about her future.

When everything falls apart and their new lives and relationship don’t go as planned, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. All because of Lucy.

Because of Lucy Chapter One

AUTUMN

NESS

There’s a stranger lying in my bed. The streetlight casts an orange glow through the open curtains and across the tell-tale mound, and underneath my brand new and expensive bedding is a snoring figure. A male, judging by the size, and by the decibels. When I left for work this evening, the bed was definitely vacant.
I drop my bag on my carpeted bedroom floor and swear loudly. He doesn’t hear. I’m not surprised; the noise of voices and music downstairs would drown out the sound of my murderous intent towards this moron. I’m exhausted after an eight-hour shift and this is not what I need.
Slamming the door behind me, I head for the stairs. The tatty furniture of the lounge room is covered with people, although littered is the term I’d use. Half a dozen inebriated, scruffy students are draped over the brown sofa or propped against each other on the threadbare carpet. A couple gaze at me absently. My housemate, Abby, squints and pulls herself unsteadily to her feet. She staggers towards me, her drink sloshing from the cup onto the dirty floor.
“Ness!” she cries, trying to hug me. “You’re home!”
I step back. “I’ve been home for half an hour.”
She blinks. “Have you?”
Her long brown hair escaped the straightening tongs this evening and sticks up on one side. Abby’s smeared lipstick and her boyfriend, Matt, nearby indicate why she didn’t notice me coming home.
“Who is in my bed?”
Abby gives me a look; one I’ve learned to identify over the years. She’s beyond any chance of reasonable conversation. “No idea.”
“Abby, I’ve been working all night. I’m knackered. I want to go to bed and there’s one of your guests occupying it.”
Abby giggles.
“Not funny!” I snap. “You can’t do this every night; weekends only for parties. Please.”
We agreed to share a house, her as a student, me working full-time. What a huge mistake.
“It’s not my fault…”
“What? You mean we were invaded? They just let themselves into the house?”
The people in the room are becoming familiar, the same set of friends arranged in their favourite places around the room. Drinking and smoking, discussing politics and listening to Lou Reed. So hip, so retro. So clichéd.
“No, but…” She puts a hand over her mouth, making a noise somewhere between a hiccup and a burp. No, but… she’s the only first year student in the group who lives in her own house. When the pubs and clubs shut, the friends can’t fit everyone into one of their dorm rooms, and I have the pleasure of their company most nights. I want to shout at Abby, tell her how selfish she’s being, but there’s no point. Her goldfish memory is worse when she’s drunk, and she won’t remember a thing I say in the morning.
“So where do I sleep?” As if I’m going to get any sleep in party central anyway.
Again, Abby looks at me blankly.
“For god’s sake, Abby!”
This is pointless. I pick my way through the bohemian bodies on the floor and into the kitchen. Empty bottles and dinner plates vie for a place on the cluttered kitchen counter. There’re two glasses left in the white cupboards and I fill one with water.
Why did I join student Abby in Leeds when I’d rejected a place at the university myself? I’m rubbing my parents’ faces in it while I lower myself into the life of a call centre drone. Pride of the family, Vanessa, was always going to be a doctor, like Daddy. Or she was until I said ‘screw that’. I’m not their precious Vanessa who they can mould into what they decide I should be. I’m Ness, and I’m doing what I want with my life.
As I regard the state of the so-called elite, studying class around me, I’m doubly glad I’m not one of them.
“’Scuse me.”
I sidestep the sink and turn to the voice. A tall guy leans against the doorframe, trying to appear nonchalant, but his slackened stance indicates he’s attempting to keep himself upright. His brown hair is longer at the front and spills into his face; unfocused brown eyes look in my direction. This person is one of the regulars. I don’t pay a lot of attention to Abby’s friends, but he’s a good-looking guy; and however hard I tried not to, I’ve noticed him, but not only because of his looks.
Some nights as I eat a late dinner after work at the table in the corner, I watch the group from my seat with a mixture of despair and amusement, and this guy intrigues me. Girls gravitate to him, and he turns on his smile and soaks up their attention, but something I can’t put my finger on hovers around the confident persona. This guy has his place as the joker who ensures he’s at the centre of the group, but some nights he’s quiet and focuses more on drinking and less on girls. Like tonight.
“Yes?” I snap, not in the mood.
He sweeps a gaze along the length of me, eyes lingering on where my work shirt stretches across my breasts. Unbelievable… I straighten my sleeves and look at him with an eyebrow raised.
“Are you Abby’s housemate?” he asks.
“Who are you?”
“Evan.” He rubs his nose. “You’re not a student.”
“Correct, I am the one not lying in a drunken haze on the floor contemplating my navel.”
Evan takes a step forward, steadying himself on the counter with one hand, as my witty repartee sails over his head. “Why?”
“Why am I not on the floor drunk?”
“Why aren’t you a student?”
“Because I work instead.”
“Hmm.” He grasps onto the sink, searching for a glass. I pass him the spare one. “Did you fail?”
“Fail what?”
Evan fills the glass. “Or are you just not smart enough for uni? What is it you do?” He gulps the water in three mouthfuls then wipes his mouth with his hand.
The arrogant bloody… “That’s right, I’m not smart enough. I’m living with Abby until I can find a nice man to marry then I can have my kids and a house in the suburbs. Because, as I’m not a student, I have no future.”
Evan leans against the sink, his tall frame dominating the small kitchen. “Fair enough.”
Oh my god, he believes me. How drunk is he exactly? “So, you think anyone who doesn’t go to university is inferior to you?”
I’ve seen Abby’s friends looking down their noses at me. To make things worse, the locals band together and hate students, and the students do the same and clash with the locals. I’m neither. I can’t win.
We’re close now and Evan smells of alcohol and pot, with a faint hint of a clean scent lingering on his clothes. His plain blue T-shirt rides up as he leans against the sink; that’s a serious set of abs he has. Okay, I can’t help myself, I check him out. Beneath his fringe, Evan has deep brown eyes. Incoherent eyes. I hate to admit, but something about him is seriously sexy.
Even if he is a dick.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” I say.
He sniggers.
“What’s funny?”
“You sound like the Queen.”
Not this again. I get enough crap at work; I moved from Surrey to Yorkshire and suddenly I’m ‘stuck up Home Counties girl’.
I don’t dignify Evan’s comment with an answer, turn away, and walk out of the kitchen.
“Want me to get the guy out of your bed?” Evan calls after me.
I stop and look round. “You know him?”
“I could replace him.”
My mouth drops open at his arrogance. An attempt at a flirtatious smile plays around his lips, but the unfocused eyes kill the effect he’s trying to achieve. He’s serious. Evan has his ready supply of eager girls; I guess it doesn’t matter to them how conceited he is. Some girls go for his type. Not me.
I step towards him. “Evan, I am not one of those drunk girls in there. I have no interest in you getting into my bed. Good night.”
Feeling happy with my retort, I weave back through the lounge in the direction of the stairs. Behind me, Evan impersonates my words with an exaggerated posh accent.
It’s a good thing I’m sober; otherwise, I’d go back and slap him.

********************

The next book in the series, Finding Evan, will be releasing March 29th!

Through mutual agreement with my publisher, the rights to these books have been reverted to be. This means they are currently unavailable for sale as I am in the process of re-branding and revising the books. Both series will re-launch in 2016.

Because of Lucy and Finding Evan will be re-released first in early 2016.

I am adding additional scenes to Because of Lucy. At some point, I intend to write a novella set a few years in Ness and Evan’s future.

What does this mean for my other books?I am keeping my commitment to writing Forever Sky (Blue Phoenix #6).

I still intend to publish this in March/April as promised and Forever Sky is the book I am working on at the moment. In Australia, it is currently the long school holidays and I need to switch from full-time to part time writing which is why I can’t give a firm date. I’m hoping for March but it could be April.

The Butterfly Days series will publish next after Shuffle but this is only because the series is already written and ready to go, and NOT because I put them ahead of Forever Sky.

As soon as I have a clear date for the release of Forever Sky I will let you know and the book will go up for pre-order on Amazon.

Nate’s book, Reprise (Ruby Riot #3), will be released the second half of 2016.

I will write a full post at the end of the year outlining my publishing plans for 2016

Look out for cover reveals and more information on the site or subscribe to my newsletter for the most up to date information: http://eepurl.com/Po81D
If you have any questions or comments please let me know, I’m always happy when I hear from readers.